Befriending the Beasts of the Forest

Baek Hye-seo saddled up on the lizard's back, beat her chest alongside the gorilla, strolled with the sparrow, shared meals with the pigeon, soared through the skies with the eagle, drank booze with the snake, hopped along with the rabbit, swore brotherhood with the wolf, and even added an extra tail to the fox... After a whopping 17 hours, Haneul had befriended every creature in the forest. It felt just like turning an RPG into a cozy healing game. No debt-collecting raccoons nagging her either, so Haneul wandered this utterly peaceful animal paradise in bliss.

"Your ride's kinda bumpy, you know."

"Awoo."

"Not 'awoo'—call me big bro."

"Awoo...?"

"I'm telling you, I'm big bro."

"...Woof."

Of course, Haneul wasn't walking herself. She'd ridden the lizard, the snake, the gorilla... and right now, she was perched on the wolf's back. It was faster than the lizard, but the lizard won hands-down on comfort. Still, the wolf's fluffy fur and faint musky scent weren't half bad. Way better than the gorilla, at least. That thing sucked in speed, smell, and ride quality. The flying eagle was in a league of its own—flight was just too overpowered to rank fairly.

"When are you gonna take me to see your king?"

"Woof woof."

"Just wake him up if he's sleeping."

"Awooo..."

"Fine, then just drop me off. I'll wake him and handle my business."

The wolf shook its head furiously. Looked like she'd have to wait a while longer. She could force it, but that might kill the vibe. Not wanting to ruin this whole animal forest setup she'd built, Haneul decided to go along with the wolf.

"Hmm, then let's head to the river."

Resigned, Haneul shelved the king visit for later and switched to her next plan.

"Fishing always kills time like this."

"Woof woof!"

"Fishing contest? Awesome. From today, I'm the god of fishing. Call me Ishmael. Wait, not that? Fine, then I'm the old master angler who hooks the flow of time itself."

She'd barely gotten a nibble trying to bait the Constellations on purpose, but the moment she decided to goof off with the animals, they swarmed in. Starting from just twenty, now over a hundred were tuning in. Haneul still couldn't care less about their voices, though. Right now, she was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠all about the fishing contest—or rather, just moments ago, the forest king. The supreme ruler over every beast, master of this vast woodland. Whether it was the gate's end or the world's edge, she'd asked every animal to take her there, and every single one refused.

—I trusted you guys! I thought we were friends! It was all one-sided again! I'm pissed. My head's boiling, but the forest is cool, which pisses me off more. Maybe we should all heat things up together?

Right before Haneul turned full arsonist, a burly wolf approached and explained the situation. Their king's lair was at the forest's edge, and crossing it required the king's permission—an emotional plea straight from the heart. A logical argument would've set her off into pyromania, but the heartfelt desperation kept her in check. Instead of flames, she bonded as sworn siblings with the "awoo"-ing wolf pup, and now here she was, riding it through the woods.

What kind of animal was the forest king? A bear? Tiger? Lion, maybe. Or a plot twist like an elephant or hippo?

"I really wanna see the king."

"Awooooooo—!"

As Haneul's mind fixated more on the forest lord, the wolf arrived at the riverbank, announcing it with a howl that summoned the locals. Fluffy, warm critters pushed through the underbrush toward Haneul and the wolf. For soothing her unstable vibes, nothing beat plush fur—and the wolf knew it, handpicking the fluffiest pals.

"Whoa... what's that tiny one? A baby?"

"Woof woof!"

"Holy crap. That's full-grown?"

Haneul scooped up the squirrel scampering up her leg.

"Why're you so small?"

"Chit?"

"Gah..."

Everything in this forest was huge. The first lizard was big, the gorilla massive, the wolf enormous. Even the rabbit towered over her. The sparrow was the closest to her size. But this squirrel in her hands? Tiny, like a real animal, not a monster.

"You eat acorns too?"

The squirrel shook its head.

"Then what do you eat?"

"Chit."

"With that tiny mouth, how do you even chew meat?"

"Chirarararak."

The squirrel's cute face split into five jagged slits. Teeth and tongues flicked between the gaping maw, yellow drool dripping, chunks of grotesque meat wedged in its fangs... Haneul's denial kicked in hard. For someone as chatty as her, going speechless was serious. Way worse than her arson meltdown.

"Woof woof!!"

Rabbits, deer, and a horde of beasts swarmed her. Rabbit ears, sparrow wings, pigeon legs, rooster combs, chick peeps assaulted her senses mercilessly. Meanwhile, the wolf flicked its tail to knock the squirrel off her. Had to contain this lunatic before she snapped.

"Grrr..."

The wolf sighed at its fate but stroked Haneul's back with its tail anyway. Beasts taming a human, not the other way around. Haneul, naturally, ignored the irony. Human, beast—who cared? Friends were friends.

"Ehehehe..."

Buried in fluffy fur, she giggled like an idiot. The rabbit's tail was the best—round at first glance, but pull it and it stretched forever. Mess up the grip, and bunny pellets rained down, which was hilarious to her. Mood lifted, Haneul sprang up on the wolf's back.

"Alright! Time to start the fishing tourney... Huh?"

She tilted her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠head at the woman who'd appeared up ahead. Blonde hair, golden eyes. No presence until now, but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠seeing her made it click. Despite the fur frenzy scrambling her brain, Haneul was alert—and still hadn't sensed her. That meant the woman had hidden deliberately, fooling Haneul's senses if only for a moment.

Pretty strong Hunter, huh.

Maybe hundreds of times tougher than Kim Seung-hyeok. All of Haneul's attention locked onto the stranger. Strong ones always drew her eye. The beasts around her bristled too, sensing the threat—but held back. They knew this Hunter was no joke. Protect Haneul first. She was a walking bomb, a certified nutcase, but their first human friend. Fun to play with, and her snacks rocked. So they guarded her. Simple, steadfast resolve—no human second-guessing.

Haneul just beamed at the rare company.

"Hi? Hello? Ni hao? Bonjour? Hajimemashite? Guten Morgen? Hello?"

"Ah, hello."

She'd thrown out every language she knew, and got Korean back—with polite speech, no less. Haneul matched it.

"Who're you?"

"Um... I'm Baek Hye-seo."

"I'm Haneul."

"Haneul...?"

The throne is the sky itself. An arrogant line from ages ago flickered by, but this girl wouldn't say that.

"Haneul..."

So, the sky was her name. Baek Hye-seo mulled it over, then suddenly raised both hands high.

"I have no intention of harming you, Haneul-ssi. Or your... fr-friends? Same for them. So... may I come closer?"

"Guys, she wants to know if it's cool to approach."

Every beast's gaze snapped to Haneul at her casual words.

"Whoa...!"

Baek Hye-seo couldn't hold back her awe. A human amid these monsters was miraculous enough. But one word sparking such varied reactions? Unreal. Even Masters couldn't pull that off. Eyes sparkling like she'd just seen her first gate, she stared at Haneul.

The King of Wisdom bombarded her with messages—a full-on courtship blitz. How could Haneul not be pleased? If Baek Hye-seo had hurt any animals on her way here, she'd be furious. But she hadn't harmed a hair, hadn't even startled them with her presence. Animal lovers were good people. Haneul smiled brightly.

"They all ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠say no, but I'm cool with it, so come on over. Nah, I'll come to you. Let's go, lil' bro."

"Awoo..."

The wolf grumbled but trudged forward when Haneul yanked its ear scruff. Thud thud—the steps halted before Baek Hye-seo, who extended a pale hand toward the wolf's nose, ever so carefully.

"Will it bite me...?"

"Yup. My house dog bites."

"Ah, then can I pet—w-wait, it bites?"

Crunch.

The wolf chomped her hand clean off.